


Masked Self

by VintageGirl71



Category: My Candy Love
Genre: Double Life, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Love Triangles, Musicians, Secret Identity, could be considered slow burn, slightly love/hate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 08:42:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15578058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VintageGirl71/pseuds/VintageGirl71
Summary: Meet Rema Ramos, a shy and quiet girl who after a certain incident, moves to a town somewhere in France with her mother. Her passion is music, but she can't bring herself to show her talent as Rema, so she does it under a pseudonym: Darcy Queen. She catches the eye of a certain redhead rebel, who doesn't know that the sassy and confident Youtube artist is right underneath his nose.





	1. 1. The Day Before

**Author's Note:**

> The timeline is sort of all over the place. Many of the things that happened in episodes will happen here as well though with slight twists and in no chronological order whatsoever. Also, Nathaniel is already independent at the beginning of this story.

The blue bar was full, waiting for the girl to press it. Her chestnut eyes lowered down to the time at the very bottom of the screen. It was 12:50 PM. Only ten minutes left.

Her fingers drummed against the wooden desk, and her eyes wandered to the window to her right. The red curtains had been slid to the sides earlier that day, and all the sunlight was pouring through, providing not only illumination but warmth as well, and a perfect view of the park.

When her mother-Laura- had first told her that they were moving to France, Rema was not convinced at all. Especially because the circumstances that had led them to moving away weren’t exactly happy ones, and every time she thought about it a fire welled up within her. But they had been there for a week now and she was gradually getting used to it. The only thing that worried her was the fact that she would be attending a new school called Sweet Amoris, and she had no idea what she would find in it. She had been attending the same school in the United States all her life, she knew those hallways like she knew her own name and she felt comfortable with the people there, because she always saw the same faces with the same personalities which provided her with a sense of belonging. But she didn’t have that now. 

Trying to shake off those thoughts, her gaze focused back on the laptop in front of her. Only five minutes left.

She wondered if her fans would like it. She had been promising them that Darcy Queen would release a new song really soon, and had been teasing them with small parts of the lyrics for three days straight. They were anxious, and that was exactly what she needed. She believed it would make it all the more worthwhile when it finally saw the light. She just hoped it would reach their expectations because, while her fans were constantly overflowing her inbox and videos with comments of overwhelming support, the chance that they might not like some of her content was still there, and she feared it greatly. 

The grandfather clock downstairs striked 1 PM, and Rema clicked upload. It only took ten minutes, before notifications started flooding her phone. She smiled widely, and she started answering some of the comments. Things like ‘it’s as good as I expected’ ‘play this at my funeral’ and ‘i love you’ were the most common ones, and it warmed her heart. There was nothing she liked more than pleasing her fans.

After having answered some more comments, she stood up from her chair and went over to her bed, where the clothes she had worn yesterday laid. She had stayed up almost the entire night editing the video, and by the time she finished it she was too tired to do anything else. It was a risky move because her mother could walk in at any moment, and if she saw the blue wig hanging from the rack she would have a lot of explaining to do. 

“This just can't be summer love…” she sang the song she had just published, as she folded the black jeans and blue blouse. She went over to the wardrobe in the corner of the room, and placed those pieces of clothing in a neat pile, hidden between some coats and jackets. There weren’t many Darcy clothes, since most of them had been left in her old house. She had just brought the ones she used the most, but she would run out eventually and would need to replace them. She placed the leather jacket in one of the hangers in between the coats, and her boots in the respective box. Then, she grabbed the blue wig, smoothed it out and placed it in a small wooden chest, locked it with a padlock and placed it underneath her bed, at the very back of it. 

“Rema, lunch is ready!” she heard her mother calling from the kitchen downstairs.

“Ya bajo!” she said back in spanish, and she double-checked that everything was in its place before going off. The gallery of stairs opened up into the dining room, and the kitchen was beyond it. 

Since it was just the two of them, they never used the dining room and just ate at the counter attached to the wall. The girl and her mother always tried to eat together, which differentiated them from many families they knew in Idaho, especially at their school.

“Are you nervous about tomorrow, mija?” Laura questioned, as she placed a dish with spaghetti in front of her daughter. 

“Not particularly” she replied, which was a lie. She just didn’t want her mother to worry about her, she had enough on her mind already.

“Are you sure?” she questioned quizzical, tying her long dark hair into a ponytail. Rema nodded firmly “Okay. That’s good” she added.

“Are you?” it was the girl’s turn to ask now “I know it’s been a while since you got a new job” Laura was a literature teacher, and it was thanks to the position Sweet Amoris offered to her that they were able to leave Idaho in the first place.

“That’s true, but I am okay” she replied calmly “I’ve done this before, no es la gran cosa” Rema believed her mother’s words wholeheartedly “Do you have any plans for this afternoon?” she questioned.

“I was thinking of going shopping” she replied “I could use some new clothes”

“That’s a smart idea” replied Laura “There’s this shop I saw the other day downtown. It’s just across the park. Maybe you could try going there?” she questioned “It’s a nice area of town, and it’s not very hard to get there. It could be an opportunity to see the neighbourhood”

“Yeah, I think I’ll do that!” she replied with a nod. 

“Did you fall asleep late last night?” Laura questioned, looking at her daughter curiously “I came down to make some tea, and your lights were turned on”

“Y-yeah, I…” she scratched her brain trying to come up with an excuse “...I was watching a movie” she finally said. She wasn’t bothered by her mother’s questions, because she knew she wasn’t doing it in an attempt to control her. She wasn’t like that, and Rema was greatful. She knew of girls her age whose parents were very eager to chim in their lives, acting like the police, not allowing them to do anything. 

For one, Rema had never had a curfew in her life before. She could go out and come back at the time she pleased, but she always tried to return at reasonable hours. In that sense, she was responsible. And a huge part of that was thanks to her mother. Laura had always been a hardworking woman, and growing up Rema had seen her taking on any job she was given with a positive attitude and making the most of her efforts, whether she liked it or not. That was one of the many values that her mother had passed on to her.

“Was it good?” questioned the woman, and it seemed she hadn’t seen through her lie.

“Yeah, very” was all Rema replied, her gaze setting on the floor. Their dog, a toy fox terrier that went by the name Daisy, whimpered at her with her small dark eyes shining “No, Daisy, you can’t have spaghetti” she scolded, to which Daisy barked resentfully, causing a chuckle to escape the lips of her owners. 

Once lunch was over and she helped her mother with the dishes, Rema went upstairs to get ready to go to the mall. She changed from her sweatpants and t-shirt into a white shirt and blue sweater, a pair of simple jeans and red flats with a bow. 

Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she stepped outside, the fresh air filling her lungs. It was the first time since she arrived that she left the house on her own, since until then she always accompanied her mother wherever she went.

She looked around, as if she was seeing everything for the first time. Just across the street, there was a small coffee shop. There were several tables out in the pavement, and some of them even had a lemon parasol to protect those who sat underneath it from the sun. A green sun shade provided an extra barrier against the heat, and since it wasn’t a particularly hot day many people were sat outside while waiters with green aprons assisted them. From the outside, she could manage to see a little bit of the inside of the shop. She could see a brown counter where people ordered their food, and to the right she spotted a glass cabinet that displayed several cakes and pastries of all colours and sizes. She made a mental note to remember that it was there before resuming her way to the clothes store, remembering her mother’s indications.

On her way to what her mother had called the town square, she passed by a park and she could see from the street that it was quite big and full of greenery, and there was a river right at the center of it, with a bridge to cross to the other side. The town was actually very nice and pinteresque despite being so small, Rema realized. Guess she was just used to a big city and had a lot of misconceptions about smaller ones. She was glad all those misinterpretations were being cleared now.

She finally arrived to her destination, and found that there were several different shops. There was a jewelry shop, and a bazaar where she could find several different things, including candles and notebooks. Beyond it, she could distinguish a supermarket, a bank and a pet shop. 

There was only one clothes store there, and she assumed that was the one her mother was talking about. It seemed rather small, and she just hoped that it had the type of clothing she was looking for. 

Getting in, she looked around. There were a few people there, but she couldn’t really see any sellers. Or, at least, they weren’t distinguishable from the rest. She just resorted to look around on her own.

First, she went over to the jeans section. She was specifically looking for black ones, and if they were ripped better since she only had three pairs of those. She actually found quite a few, so she picked the ones she thought would suit her better and proceeded to look at the blouses and tops.

“Do you need some help?” a cheerful voice called from behind, and Rema turned around to find a girl with silver hair and amber eyes holding a stack of sweaters in her hands. She was dressed in a very...Unique way, to say the least. She was wearing a white dress just above her thighs, the end of her sleeves located in her forearms were purple and so was the tie she was wearing. She had a black vest which draped down behind her into two tails, and black knee-high boots to match. 

“Uh…” Rema began speaking, but found that she didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t very good with meeting new people.

“Let’s see...” the girl left the clothes she had been holding on the counter nearby and, without previous warning, grabbed the jeans the brunette had been holding until then. She looked over them, then at Rema, and then she walked over to the racks with several blouses and t-shirts. 

“Uhm...Actually, I was hoping I could-” she began speaking once more, but the silver haired girl cut her off.

“What do you think of this?” she questioned, taking out a salmon blouse with a bow at the collar. Rema looked over it, and was surprised to see that it did look like something Darcy Queen would wear.

“It’s-it’s nice” she replied, making the girl smile brightly.

“Of course it is!” she replied, handing it to Rema who took it. That girl was truly something.

“H-hey” the brunette called, and the seller, or at least that’s what she assumed, acknowledge her with a ‘hmm’ as she searched the hangers for some other tops “Are there any leather jackets around?”

“Sure there are!” she said, her eyes glimmering “Follow me!” she started to make her way towards the other side of the shop, with the girl following behind “This entire sections is outerwear” she motioned to the row of racks in front of her “You probably want to choose darker colours so they contrast with the shirt. Feel free to search around as much as you want, meanwhile I’ll see if I can find some other tops for you”

“Thanks” she managed to say before the girl went off. The seller seemed to know a lot about fashion, and she would certainly make it easier for Rema to buy clothes. She seemed to know exactly what would look good on her, and how she could wear it. While Rema did care about how she looked and the clothes she used, she was not under any circumstances an expert on it. It had happened to her more than once that she bought something she thought she looked good in, and when she actually wore it afterwards she hated it. She had learned to try on clothes before buying them the hard way, but she felt that if this girl was helping her she wouldn’t make a mistake. 

The only three jackets she had brought with her were a simple black one, a brown one and a pink one. Black was the only colour out of those that was easy to match, she struggled more with the other two. She really needed some new variety.

After around ten minutes, she had managed to pick three other jackets; a dark blue one, a red one and an orange one with studs. She was quite happy with her choice.

“Okay, so” she heard the seller’s muffled voice once more, and when she turned around she found her holding a huge pile of several blouses, t-shirts and even some dresses. Rema could barely make out her face through the clothes “Wait, can you bring me that cart over there?” she asked, motioning to the cart in the corner.

“S-sure” replied Rema, still stunned by the number of clothes she had picked. It was almost the entire store “I can’t really buy all of this, though” she said when she approached her once more, pushing the cart her way.

“Of course not, dummy” she replied, throwing everything in the cart “Just the ones that suit you best”

Rema arched her eyebrows upon hearing that. That was still a lot of clothes and a lot of money to spend. She was thankful her mother had agreed for her to get a credit card back when she asked for it, eventhough she had to come up with a very believable excuse that wasn’t ‘because I’m a youtube musician who needs new clothes every now and then’. 

Well, at least she wouldn’t need to go shopping anytime soon again. 

“There’s something missing” the seller commented, stroking her chin with a frown. The brunette raised an eyebrow upon hearing that.

“I think all this is quite enough” admitted Rema. She had no idea how on earth she would carry all those bags home. 

“Of course, shoes!” she finally exclaimed, completely ignoring her comment “No outfit is complete without a stylish pair of heels! You can go and try this on, while I look for a couple of those for you”

“Just one is fine” said Rema sheepishly.

“I’ll make sure they are the most fabulous ones I can find!” replied the silver haired, and all Rema could do was sigh as she walked over to the changing rooms. She got the feeling she would be there for a very long time. 

Trying on the clothes she wanted to buy was always the worst part of going shopping. It took her a lot of time to find something that she liked and fitted well. She knew it was a necessity, but that didn’t mean that she enjoyed it. That’s why she liked buying jackets, because she could just put it on and look at herself through a mirror somewhere in the shop, since there always was one. There was no need for her to get undressed. 

After several minutes, she finally finished trying on everything and out of 100% of clothes, she was going to take 60%. Talk about discarding. 

“So? How was it?” questioned the girl once she saw her getting out of the dressing room, holding a brown box which what Rema could only assume were shoes.

“I’m taking these” she replied, motioning to the clothes inside the cart.

“Perfect!” said the silver haired excitedly “And I’ve picked these boots for you, what do you think?” she took the cover of the box, to reveal a pair of brown knee-high boots similar to the ones she was wearing “I think they’ll suit you well, but you have to try them on, of course”

“I love them” she said with honesty.

“I knew you would!” replied the girl “Go on, try them!” she urged. She did, and they fitted perfectly “You look awesome in them!”

“Thanks” replied Rema with a smile.

“C’mon, I’ll put them in the bags for you” she said, and started to walk towards the end of the shop, where the cash register was. It was now that Rema realized that she hadn’t seen any other employees around ever since she stepped inside the shop. She wondered if this girl had to do everything herself. If she did, she admired her for it. It couldn’t be easy, in fact, it was probably very tiring. 

“Thanks for helping me” Rema spoke up, looking at the girl with a smile “You really made this more enjoyable”

“It was my pleasure” she replied as she handed her back the card, the recipe and the five bags “Feel free to come back anytime!”

“I will” replied Rema with a nod “Have a good evening!”

It wasn’t until Rema reached her house with two bags in her left hand and three in her right one, that she realized that she hadn’t asked for the girl’s name. That was rude of her, especially after she had helped her so much. She made a mental note to do that the next time she saw her, even though she didn’t know when that would be.

“I’m home!” she announced, and Daisy’s happy barks because of seeing her after so many hours brought a smile to her face.

“How was shop...Oh, my!” Laura exclaimed, upon seeing her daughter carrying so many bags “You really outdid yourself this time, Rema. How many clothes did you even buy?”

“I have no idea” she replied with a small chuckle “This girl assisted me and...Well, this was the result”

“I see” replied Laura, shaking her head in amusement “Do you have room for all of it?”

“I’ll manage” she replied, starting to make her way upstairs and paying extra attention so she wouldn’t fall. 

When she set her bags on the table, an email came into her inbox. Darcy Queen’s inbox, not Rema’s. It was the first email she received there, and she felt the excitement washing over her as she opened it.

 

Dear Ms. Queen,  
Good evening, I hope you are doing well. My name is Aaron Agreste, and I’m the owner of the restaurant Inferno. I have owned this restaurant for eight years, and the anniversary of its opening is on Thursday. It is thanks to the clients that Inferno has become what it is now, and I want to thank them for everything they’ve done. That’s why, on Thursday I’m doing a special celebration. Free food will be served for everyone who attends, and I want to provide only the highest quality of entertainment.

I’ve heard about you and your talent from my daughters, and I wanted to ask if it would be possible for you to put on a show that night. I will pay you, of course, and everything you might need will be provided to you. I want to make it a very special day.  
I look forward to hearing from you  
Yours sincerely,  
Aaron Agreste

 

Rema could have yelled for joy, but she was reminded that her mother was downstairs and that the walls were very thin by the sound of an electrical whisk as it mixed the dough for a chocolate cake Laura was making. She resorted to pump her fists in the air silently, before answering.

 

Dear Mr. Agreste,  
It will be my honor and pleasure to perform for your clients on Thursday night. I think that what you are doing is a very respectable thing, especially considering the reputation your restaurant has.

The cost can be arranged that same day, and in regards to what I will need, all I require is a microphone and some lights. I will take my own instruments other than that, and can I just say how glad I am about your daughters enjoying my music? Will they be there that day? I would love to meet them. 

Thank you for giving me this opportunity, I can guarantee you won’t regret it!  
See you soon!  
Darcy Queen

 

A wide smiled crawled up Rema’s lips as she pressed the send button. This was going to be her first gig, and she couldn’t be more excited about it! She had never actually played in front of a live audience before, but the excitement surpassed the nervousness she felt. 

Just for a moment, she forgot about the anxiousness she was feeling because of her first day of school, and how scared she was of the people she would meet there.


	2. 2. The First Day

Rema woke up to the sound of her alarm ringing, and a bulk at her feet. Leaning slightly up, she noticed that Daisy was sound asleep, but the moment she moved the covers to the side the small dog woke up, and groaned in complain.

“Good morning to you too, Daisy” said Rema sarcastically, before sitting at the edge of the bed and yawning, which reminded her of the fact that she had barely slept last night. Her head had been swarming with thoughts of her new school and classmates, and whether they would like her or not. She hoped they would. She didn’t want to seem like she was trying too hard, but she also knew that her people skills weren’t the best and, therefore, if she wanted to meet new faces she would have to make an effort. 

Sighing, she stood up and went over to the bathroom in the second floor. She washed the last traces of sleep off her face, and went back to her bedroom across the hall. The clothes she had picked last night were lying on the chair, and she put them on. 

The first impression was always the most important one, so she had made sure to pick a nice outfit that would make her look approachable. It consisted of a light pink top with small black buttons at the front, and a bow in the collar, an orange knee-length skirt and light brown platforms. She walked over to the body mirror next to her desk, and observed. She looked decent enough, and the light coloured clothes contrasted well with her black hair.

It was then that she realized that she wasn’t wearing her earrings, which she had taken off when they were at the airport so the metal detector wouldn’t bother her, or anyone else. Guess she forgot about them with everything that had happened. 

She opened the jewelry box on her night table, and placed the grey earrings in their place, along with a golden bracelet which adorned her wrist, before walking towards the door. She looked back at Daisy to see whether she felt like moving or not, but the dog stayed in her place. Rema just chuckled, before going off towards the kitchen.

“Good morning, mom” she greeted when she arrived, but found no one. Not giving much thought to it, she proceeded to prepare her breakfast. Laura was probably still getting ready, she always took the longest time and Rema was constantly hurrying her so they wouldn’t be late, when it usually is supposed to be the other way around. The teen, while she did care what she looked like, she never went over the top to be on her best appearance. For starters, she never wore makeup. 

At least, not as Rema.

“Okay, be honest” she heard the clacking of heels against the floor as her mother walked into the kitchen, making the girl turn around “How do I look?”

Laura was always a beautiful woman and Rema knew that, but today she looked particularly good. She was wearing black heels, a formal black skirt that enhanced her waist, a white shirt and a blue suede blazer, that her daughter recognized. 

“Is that…?” she couldn’t finish the question, because she could already feel her blood boiling, but her mother understood.

“Your father’s birthday gift” she confirmed, and Rema bit the inside of her cheek. The blazer was the last present her father, Eric, gave to her mother before divorcing. 

Silence followed, a silence in which the brunette could practically grab the tension floating in the air and twist it. Hard.

After a moment, her mother spoke up softly, as if she was explaining to a child that wanted a candy that she couldn’t buy it because she had no money. 

“I loved your father” Rema stayed quiet, having heard that same phrase many times before “And there was a time in which he did too. I forgave him long ago for not doing it anymore”

“That doesn’t mean I have to” shot Rema sternly, focusing on mixing the milk with her cereal.

“No, of course not” said Laura, nodding “But I hope that one day you can understand why he did what he did. Not forgive him for it, just understand” Rema swallowed her words, because she didn’t see that happening anytime soon. He barely, if not never, called so how did her mother expect her to understand him, if he didn’t make an effort for her to do so? “So?” her mother asked, making the girl look at her quizzically “What about the rest of the outfit?”

“Oh!” Rema exclaimed, glad the subject was changed “You look great, mom! Very professional!”

“Thanks, mija” replied Laura with a smile “I hope the headmistress thinks so too”

“She did give you the job, so I can only assume she will” replied Rema, trying to assure her mother who seemed particularly nervous this time around, eventhough just yesterday she said she wasn’t.

“Which reminds me!” Laura suddenly exclaimed, going over to the end of the counter, grabbing some papers and then sitting down in front of her daughter “You need to hold onto this paperwork and the ID picture” Rema cringed upon seeing the photograph she had taken just two days ago. Her hair was a mess and she looked like she hadn’t slept in weeks, when the truth was that she had just fallen asleep later than intended, and the next day she had to wake up at 8 AM for that photo “The principal will ask for it most definitely” Rema opened her eyes wide.

“I have to talk with the principal?” she questioned in disbelief, her head spinning just thinking about it. 

“Of course” replied her mother “But I doubt she’ll keep you in there for long, so there’s nothing to worry about” Rema wasn’t so sure about that, for many things could go wrong while talking to her, but she didn’t say anything “Don’t lose it, okay? You need this to fully enroll in Sweet Amoris”

“Alright” replied the girl, grabbing the documents and placing them inside her crossbody bag next to her. 

“I know I asked you this already, but I’ll ask again. Are you nervous?” Laura questioned, not being able to help herself. She worried for her little girl, since it was the first time she had to start in a new school from zero. 

“Mom, I’m fine” replied Rema, placing her hand on her mother’s “Don’t worry about me, it’s no big deal” she was lying, of course, but her mother had too much in her plate and Rema didn’t want to add anything else to it.

“Okay” said Laura, smiling sweetly at her and giving her hand a squeeze before looking around “Where’s Daisy? I’m surprised she is not down here asking for food”

“A certain terrier is in a very bad mood, because I woke her up from her beauty sleep” replied Rema, making her mother chuckle.

“She is really something” said Laura, shaking her head in amusement.

“Agreed” replied Rema, pointing at her mother with her spoon. 

 

The minute Rema stepped out of the car in front of Sweet Amoris, she felt all eyes on her eventhough the street seemed practically empty. She stared up at the school with a growing nervousness in her body, and an increasing fear inside her chest. 

She kept her gaze down as they made their way through the courtyard and inside the building. Thankfully, since it was probably still early, not many people were around.

“I need to get to my classroom to prepare everything” announced Laura, coming to a stop in the middle of the hallway and looking at her daughter, who didn’t like the idea of being left alone in the middle of the jungle “The principal’s office is down that way” she pointed out towards the end of the hall “She is probably expecting you” Rema couldn’t bring herself to say anything, no words came out, so she just nodded “Everything will go fine, okay?” Laura tried to assure her daughter, before giving her a kiss in the forehead “See you later, mija”

As soon as her mother left, a feeling of loneliness washed over her. If this was her old school, her friends would have come running over as soon as they saw her, hugged her, and asked how her summer went, told her about theirs...But all she saw in front of her now were unknown and empty hallways, which she dreaded.

Pull yourself together, Rema!

Shaking her head to get rid of her thoughts, she began making her way to the principal’s office. 

Once she was there, she gulped, took a deep breath and gave three knocks on the door. Pretty soon, she heard the enthusiastic voice of a woman saying ‘Come in!’ and she did as told.

The headmistress was sitting behind a desk with a white cloth. She was an old woman with grey hair, and an entirely pink suit. She smiled almost too sweetly at Rema the moment she saw her.

“Welcome, young lady!” she greeted enthusiastically.

“G-good morning…” Rema greeted, closing the door gently behind her.

“Well, don’t be shy, come in, come in!” she motioned to the seat in front of her, and the brunette just did as told “You’re Laura Ramos’s daughter, right?”

“That’s right, ma’am” she said politely, clutching at the fabric of her jeans tightly.

“Well, I am very glad to have you here at Sweet Amoris!” she replied, her eyes almost shining. 

“Thank you” Rema managed to say. 

“Now, there a couple of things you should know before class starts” she spoke up, and opened a drawer on her side of the desk “Your schedule is right here” she slid it across the wood so Rema could take a good look at it, but the girl’s gaze was still focused on the headmistress. She didn’t want to look anywhere else in case she missed something important, and she would be in deep trouble if that happened “This school offers a wide variety of clubs to join, and, while it is not mandatory to join one, it is highly recommended. Especially in the case of new students, because it is a good way, if not the best, to meet new people. There’s a freed period first thing in the morning for club activities and other extracurricular” Rema just nodded, not mentioning the fact that everytime she talked to new people she became a babbling mess. 

It’s not that she didn’t want to meet new people, it was just the simple fact that she struggled to do it. A lot. She never knew what to say, which resulted in a whole lot of awkward silences, which led to talking about something trivial and unimportant like the climate. This resulted in people not approaching her because they never could keep a conversation going with her. 

“Now, I understand that you have the registration form and some other things to hand in?” she questioned.

“Yes” replied Rema, and reached out to grab them from her bag, but the principal stopped her.

“Oh, no, I’m terrible with those things. I often end up misplacing them” she admitted with a small chuckle “Nathaniel is in charge of handling those documents” Rema frowned, not knowing who this Nathaniel was “Nathaniel is the student body president. He’s right across the hall. You should go now before class begins and give him all this” 

“O-okay, I will” she replied.

“Hurry on now” indicated the headmistress, and Rema took that as a sign that their conversation was over. She stood up from her chair, grabbed her schedule and left the office.

The moment she closed the door behind her, she let out a sigh of relief. That was one thing done; eventhough the principal seemed like a really nice woman, it still didn’t change the fact that Rema was extremely anxious around her. She hoped she wouldn’t have to talk to her like that again.

Just as she had been told, the student council room was right across the office. The blue door was open, inviting anyone to come in, so she did just that. But she couldn’t see anyone inside. 

What was she supposed to do now? She didn’t know the school grounds, and had no idea where this Nathaniel usually hanged out in. Her heart began pounding at the thought of getting lost in that building, which was quite huge by the way, until she heard some rattling coming from the corner of the room.

Upon taking a closer look, she noticed there was a blonde boy rummaging through some cabinets.

“E-excuse me?” she called, startling the poor boy who hit his head with the opened drawer above the one he was searching through. He grunted in pain “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” out of pure instinct, she rushed towards the boy “A-are you okay? I didn’t mean to scare you” she added, placing a hand on his shoulder and making him turn around, allowing Rema to take a good look at his golden eyes, which made her blush.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it” he assured with a kind smile, seeming not to notice how red the girl was “I didn’t hear you come in, that’s all” he stood up, and helped her stand up as well. It was then that he could finally take a good look at her, and so could she. He was wearing a v-neck blue shirt and white trousers “You must be the new student. My name is Nathaniel, it’s nice to meet you” he stuck his hand out for her to shake.

“R-Rema” she replied, placing her hand in his warm one “Nice to meet you too”

“So how can I help you?” he questioned politely.

“Uh...I-I have this forms the principal said I should give to you” she replied, taking all the papers out of her bag, but there were too many and, in addition, the strength in her hands had reduced ever since Nathaniel helped her up from the floor, so most of them fell down. Rema mentally smacked herself.

Way to go, Rema. It’s only your first day and you already managed to embarrass yourself in front of your classmate. Good job.

“Don’t worry about it” Nathaniel squatted down, grabbing the documents and placing them on a nearby table “Let me help you with that” he added, grabbing the rest of the papers in her hand and doing the same “I know how bothersome it can be to have so much paperwork. Some of it is probably pointless, to be honest”

“Thank you” replied the girl shyly.

“Now, let’s see” he started searching through the papers, looking for only the most relevant things, meaning the registration form and and the ID picture “Everything seems in place. And I was told you already paid the fee”

“My mother did” replied Rema with a nod. 

“Oh, yeah, Mrs. Ramos” Laura had been ‘mom’ for Rema all her life, so when she heard classmates of her addressing her as ‘Mrs’ it was weird; she wasn’t used to it eventhough she should be, considering what she worked as “She’s the new literature teacher, isn’t she?”

“That’s right” Rema replied with a nod.

“I enjoy reading very much, so I’m really looking forward to her class” he admitted, bringing a smile to Rema’s face.

“I’m sure she won’t disappoint” assured the girl, completely sure of her mother’s skills and talents. She was surprised and astounded at how much information her mother could store, not only of the books she read but of the authors that wrote them, and the symbolism present in the works. She was like an encyclopedia. 

“I’m counting on it” replied Nathaniel warmly, focusing back on the documents “Anyway, everything is in place. Your registration is complete”

“Aren’t you going to go through everything else?” questioned Rema curiously, noticing that there were still tons of documents that he hadn’t seen. She was more comfortable around him now because of the nice comment he made about her mother. 

“It’s kind of a bother, and I already found the most important things” he replied, and Rema was a bit surprised to see how relaxed he seemed despite being president. Back at her old school, the student body president was a very uptight and correct person that not many found appealing. In fact, some of them found him quite dull, but Nathaniel seemed different. His entire demeanor was at ease, from his posture to his expressions, which helped Rema calm down.

“Nathaniel?” a girl’s voice called from behind, and Rema turned around to find a girl with brown hair and blue eyes, dressed in a blue blouse and a white skirt “The meeting is about to begin” she announced.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot about that” replied Nathaniel, going over to the cabinets to put away the forms.

The newcomer then seemed to notice Rema quietly standing there, observing from the sidelines.

“Oh, who are you?” she questioned politely.

“This is Rema Ramos, the new student I told you about?” Nathaniel replied, standing up and going over to them. 

“Oh, yeah!” the girl’s face lit up with recognition “I’m Melody, it’s nice to meet you!”

“You too” replied Rema, rubbing her arm nervously.

“I’m class president, so if you ever need help with something, don’t hesitate to tell me” she added, to which the brunette nodded.

“I will, thanks” 

“I really have to go now, but if you need help with anything you can tell me” Nathaniel spoke up, making Rema turn to look at him “I’ll see you later, Rema!” he added, before going off with Melody following behind.

Once they were gone, the girl stepped outside and she could finally take a good look at the inside of the school building; she hadn’t been able to due to her mind being somewhere else before, but now that the paperwork was done and she was an official student in Sweet Amoris, she could relax a bit. 

 

After several minutes of exploring the school, she ended up in the courtyard. There seemed to be a gym to her left, that was a separate building from the rest, and a beautiful garden on her right. All the flowers looked very alive and healthy, and she couldn’t help wondering who took care of it. Was it the students?

The bell then rang. and realization hit Rema.

She had no idea what classroom she was supposed to go to!

She knew she had history class, but she didn’t know where. Panic welled up in her, and worst-case scenarios filled her head. She would get detention. Her mother would be in trouble. The headmistress would scold her. She wouldn’t be able to get into the class.

Looking around frantically, she tried to find someone, anyone who could tell her where the classroom was. But the courtyard had long been emptied, and the only person around was a red-haired guy whose entire demeanor made Rema want to crawl into a hole and hide.

But he was the only person around.

Gulping, she dragged her feet, as if she was walking through quicksand, to where he was standing, not noticing her presence.

“Ex-excuse me?” she called, and when the guy glared at her with annoyed grey eyes she yelped. He said nothing, just stared at her up and down with his arms folded and an uninterested look in his eyes. As if she wasn’t worth his time “C-Can you tell me where classroom B is?”

“Why should I?” he snapped, taking the girl by surprise. All the vocabulary she had learned ever since she was born seemed to vanish from her mind immediately, leaving only a series of unintelligible noises “In english” he added, very sarcastically.

“Uhm...I-I’m new here, and…” she started, trying to avoid his smouldering gaze as much as she could, focusing on his hair or his black neck chain.

“And why should I care?” he added, not patient enough to deal with this girl’s stuttering and blabbering. It was annoying.

“Cause...I-I need to get to class” she replied, though it sounded more like a question, as if she was asking him if it was a good enough reason for him to care.

“I don’t” he replied.

Guess it wasn’t good enough. 

“So run off now, I have more important things to do” he added, before turning on his feet and walking away from her and towards the gym.

Rema watched him with a small frown and a her fists slightly clenched, but the moment she noticed that she took a deep breath.

Control yourself, Rema. Keep your cool. Put away those fists.

“Don’t take it personally, he’s like that to everyone” a voice spoke up from behind Rema, and she turned around to find the girl from the shop standing with her arms folded in disapproval at the guy’s attitude, but her expression immediately changed when she saw the brunette’s face “Oh, hey, I recognize you! You’re the girl that was at the clothes store yesterday!”

“Yeah, it’s nice to see you again” replied Rema, feeling more comfortable around her now since she had already spoken to her, and knew how she acted.

“I didn’t even introduce myself yesterday, did I? Talk about manners” she stuck her hand out for Rema to shake “My name is Rosalya, but you can call me Rosa”

“I’m Rema” replied the girl, placing her hand in hers. She noticed her nails were painted white “It’s nice to meet you, Rosa”

“Same” replied the other girl “But hey, what happened to your clothes?” Rema shot her a confused glance upon hearing that.

“What-what do you mean?” she questioned, looking down at her outfit. Did she look that bad?

“The first thing I’d do when buying something is use it” replied Rosa, and Rema felt relieved upon realizing what she was talking about. She got worried there for a moment that something was wrong with how she looked. 

“Uh…” Rema started, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse “The clothes weren’t actually for me, they are a gift for a friend”

“Oh, okay” replied the white-haired, seeming not to notice she put a piece of hair behind her ear nervously at the thought of not being believed “You should have told me, though. I chose them based on what you looked like, but if you had mentioned they were for a friend I would have personalized them better”

“You needn’t do that” replied the brunette, shaking her head “You did enough”

“Well, tell me, did she at least like them?” asked Rosa, eager to receive a compliment.

“I haven’t actually given them to her yet” Rema lied again.

“I see” replied the girl “Well, make sure you tell me when you do, okay? I want to see just how good of a job I did” Rema chuckled silently.

“I will” she nodded.

“We should get going to class” commented the other girl “You are in classroom B right? I was heading there too, just follow me” Rema just nodded and did as told.


End file.
